The opening ceremony for the Moscow Cathedral Mosque is taking place on the eve of Eid al-Adha. After an extensive renovation the mosque has become 20 times bigger – the complex covers about 19 thousand square meters. The mosque become one of the biggest places of worship in Europe, so more than 10 thousand believers can pray together. The six-storey temple is equipped with 7 elevators which will lift believers to the necessary floor. Several rooms are equipped with flat screens which will show what is happening in the central hall. The main dome is 46 meters tall and has a diameter of 27 meters. The minor minaret's top is 5.7 meters tall.
According to the Russian Council of Muftis, the Mosque will be not just a mosque in the conventional sense, "but a whole Islamic complex", which will have exhibition galleries, conference rooms, a press center and a hotel, RIA Novosti reports.
The opening ceremony of the mosque will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdullatipov, the head of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov and the head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev were also invited.
The head of the Muslim Spiritual Administration of the Russian Federation and the Russian Muftis Council, Ravil Gaynutdin, addressed the opening.
"I'm appealing to Almighty Allah to made this historic event marked by our Lord as contributing to the peace between peoples and cultures," Ravil Gaynutdin said.
The mufti said that nearly a decade ago, Vladimir Putin, for the first time in Russian history, described this country as a Muslim country too, noting that Islam is one of the foundations of Russian statehood. "He also said Russia was the most faithful, reliable and consistent defender of the Islamic religion and support for the whole Islamic world," he stressed.
"Russia is the heir and successor of glorious traditions of all cultures and peoples, nations and religions of the Eurasian space. We are successors not only of the Soviet Union, the Russian Empire and Kievan Rus', but of Volga Bulgaria, the Golden Horde and Caucasian state formations created by companions of the Prophet Muhammad," Gaynutdin noted.
"The mosque is a symbol of our faith. The new look of the mosque demonstrates the irreversible commitment of our Islam to its roots, the Eurasian foundations of civilization and statehood. It would be difficult to achieve the implementation of such an ambitious project without the support of the government. The main role is played by Sergei Sobyanin," he said.
Gaynutdin also thanked all those who made donations for the reconstruction of the mosque. "Special thanks to the main philanthropist Suleiman Kerimov. He and his foundation allocated $170 million for the renovation and construction of the new complex," the mufti noted.
"With a great joy I greet the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mahmoud Abbas and Nursultan Nazarbayev, who have made a significant contribution to the project of reconstruction of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, and all those who brought this happy day closer," he said.
After him, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the floor. "Dear Mr. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, dear Mr. President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, distinguished representatives of the religious community of Muslims of Russia, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, I welcome you to the opening ceremony of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque," he told the audience.
Erdogan expressed hope that the opening of the mosque will help establish peace and tranquility in the region. "We believe that the Moscow Cathedral Mosque will contribute to the establishment of peace and mutual assistance. The atmosphere of sincere friendship and trust is an integral part of the Russian people," he stressed.
"Dear President, dear guests, an ancient historical connection with the fraternal Russian Muslims, the bonds of brotherhood are making a huge contribution to the relations between Russia and Turkey and guide us to new heights," the president added.
Erdogan recalled that there are many different peoples in Russia who have a spiritual community. The head of Turkey noted that the growing refugee crisis in Europe looks especially sad against this background. He called for a solution to the crisis in the Middle East, relying on the principle of love.
He also wished the opening of the mosque to bring the blessing of Allah throughout the whole Muslim world, and congratulated everyone on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
Then Russian President Vladimir Putin made speech. "Dear Mr Erdogan, Mr Abbas, honorable clergy and foreign guests, dear friends, I cordially congratulate you on the opening of the renovated Moscow Cathedral Mosque," he said.
The President stressed that this mosque will correspond to the beautiful grandeur of Russia as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country. "I want to thank everyone who took part in the construction of this magnificent building. We are grateful to the governments of Turkey and Kazakhstan for their contribution to the reconstruction of the mosque," he noted.
The opening of the mosque, according to the head of state, will help Russian Muslims to spread the true values of Islam. "The Koran says: so strive as in a race in good deeds," Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian leader also said that the authorities pay great attention to Islam, and pointed out that Muslim youth should receive true spiritual Muslim values, fueled by the construction of mosques and madrasas. "It is important to raise Muslim youth in traditional Islamic values, and attempts to impose the installation of ideas which have nothing to do with true Islam must be suppressed," Putin stressed.
"We see what is happening in the Middle East, where the terrorists from Islamic State cast a shadow over the great religion of Islam, they spread hatred and kill people, barbarously destroying monuments of world culture. They are distorting Islam and trying to recruit our people," the president warned.
The head of state thanked the Islamic religious leaders who oppose the actions of the extremists, spreading the true values of Islam.
"The opening of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque is being held on the eve of Eid al-Adha. I want to congratulate the Russian Ummah on this bright holiday and wish all of Russia's Muslims happiness," the president concluded.
Then Vladimir Putin and Ravil Gaynutdin opened the mosque.
